NODDING DOGS ?

My latest press release:

"The Labour member of the Council's Scrutiny Committee is questioning the committee's effectiveness.

Cllr Geoff Lumley's doubts have been brought to a head by a recent Cabinet member delegated decision to merge ABK and Trinity Middle Schools ahead of the Council's current school reorganisation proposals. Cllr Lumley made extensive written representations to the Cabinet member (Cllr Wells) ahead of this decision, seeking its deferral. However, the decision was made without any response being made to Cllr Lumley's representations. Something that has never happened before in the light of delegated decision representations. The decision was then made by Cllr Wells in private and without any accountability.

Consequently Cllr Lumley then sought the support of three of the other non-Conservative Scrutiny Committee members (seven in total) to 'call in' the decision to a special committee meeting to hold the cabinet member to account. By the deadline of 5pm yesterday only two (Cllrs Miller & Humby) had signed up to the call-in. Without four signatories there can be no 'call in'. Late support from Cllr Foster, who had been unavailable the previous week, was ruled out.

Cllr Lumley said, "Last November the newly constituted and Tory controlled Scrutiny Committee received a stern talking to about misuse of the 'call-in' process on delegated decisions without prior representations being made. So in this and other cases I now ensure I make prior representations when I am unhappy about a proposed decision. Before now I always get a response before the decision is made, but not in this case. Subsequently not getting sufficient support from the other 'opposition' and co-opted members on the committee for a 'call in' is very disappointing. Sadly it is a manifestation of how irrelevant the Scrutiny Committee has become since it was reconstituted without opposition control." "